Ice Flames
by harmonized
Summary: Even frozen hearts can find a beat to live again. One shots featuring Tala Valkov x Naomi Hiwarari.
1. Chapter 1

**DEDICATION**

 _A one shot series for Fyrua and all the amazing fanart, she's done for me._

 **DISCLAIMER**

 _All characters belong to Takao Aoki with the exception of Naomi._

* * *

 **Another Cold Christmas**

* * *

 _ **"LOOK OUT! IT'S ICY!"**_

 _Naomi beamed with excitement, her gray eyes dancing with astonishment as she watched the snowflakes fall from the sky, donning everything in white. Winter arrived early in Moscow and the temperatures were dropping constantly. She observed the people who crowded the pavements, their boots leaving multiple footprints due to the snow. Most of them were in a rush to get to the shop they had in mind to purchase gifts for their beloved ones, while others missed the warmth of their homes and paced as fast as possible to be back. It wasn't as if Russia was the warmest country in the world though —for it was universally acknowledged that despite the season, there was always a cold bite to the weather._

 _Still, that wouldn't stop her from enjoying her holidays._

 _Naomi was only seven at that time and she had promised to herself she would manage to treasure these holidays to her memory. She couldn't explain it with words efficiently, but there was this unidentified feeling that reached to tug at her heartstrings before pulling back swiftly, this feeling that something either had shifted, or was about to. She figured out it had to do with her brother and his new acquaintance._

 _Tala Valkov._

 _For an unfathomable reason, Naomi figured it would be best to not question much about him. This conclusion was mainly formed after Kai sent her a strict look the other day which told her not to dwell on it. She knew how cold her brother could be but the coldness elevated to a whole new level once Kai returned from Japan with Voltaire last year. The old man had probably tied her brother painfully because Kai never acted like this. Sure he was aloof and prefered his own company, but Naomi respected that because it was all part of his nature._

 _So seeing her brother masking his features with emotionlessness burned her insides, breaking her heart into tiny pieces._

 _"Where were you?"_

 _Kai's impassive voice sliced through the veil of her thoughts and Naomi blinked twice, quite dazed by the fact she had tuned out the rest of the world. Her hand which was planted safely on her lap shifted to touch her temple and alleviate the sudden pain there. She was almost confident she didn't leave the realms of reality, yet the slight throbbing liked to prove her otherwise._

 _With a sigh she didn't realize she was holding, she exhaled slowly. "I-um was here for a while," Naomi responded flustered, her cheeks heating in the process. She hoped Kai wouldn't get mad at her for not staying in the living room to welcome their parents' friends family. She was shy enough to stay away for a few minutes before making her appearance and since Tala was down there, she thought it'd be unnecessary to show up. Kai was secretive about who he became friends with and Naomi didn't want to feel like out of place._

 _Kai paused to stare at her for a brief moment, his brow furrowed at the clothes she was wearing. A pair of tight black sweatpants and a gray sweater. This was supposed to be a semi-formal dinner and he would've reminded her of it if it wasn't for her small movement. Naomi squirmed under his strong gaze and his eyes narrowed. Then, deciding against it, he settled for a mild shake of his head. He was surprised to realize he wasn't the only one in their family who wanted to go against the rules, though Naomi made her moves very subtle, almost unnoticeable. However, they were still there, proving she didn't approve of the overpowering effect their grandfather had on them one bit._

 _His lips curved in a faint smirk as he said "get ready in ten minutes. They'll be waiting for you."_

 _Afterwards, the door closed with a final click and Naomi sucked in a breath. It didn't take her long to change to a long-sleeved black dress her grandmother had given to her, telling her it was one of her favorites and the second she saw it, it reminded her of Naomi._

 _She took in her appearance, her eyes roaming her frame in the mirror. She made sure she was, first of all, dressed suitably for the occasion and second, that her hair was free from all kinds of knots. The last thing she wanted was to scare their guests because of her extreme hairstyle, known as I-rolled-out-of-bed-and-couldn't-care-less-for-how-I-look._

 _'It's okay, Naomi. You got this.'_

 _With that thought in mind, she descended the staircase. She wasn't oozing confidence, but she wasn't scared either. Only a little nervous to meet the family._

 _Naomi was genuinely taken aback by the fact that her eyes collided with icy blue ones the moment she stepped on the bottom step. It was as if a spell was cast all over her and she was left there to stare at the enchanted beauty._

 _'Nobody has such striking blue eyes.'_

 _Wait..did she just call him enchanted beauty? She's only seven, how is it possible to have such word in her vocabulary?_

 _Meanwhile, Kai excused himself from the living room, wondering what could've kept his sister occupied this long. When he entered the hallway he knew exactly why._

 _Oh great._

 _Gladly Tala was oblivious to Naomi's developing crush on him since her cheeks were tinged with red, her lips pressed in a thin line, Kai mused, but he couldn't help and think how this meant trouble. Falling for Valkov would do no good to his sister. Tala usually came as the charming boy all women dreamed of, but this was a camouflage for all the wildness underneath._

 _Nevertheless, as the rest of the day progressed a small smile crept on his lips. It's been quite a while since Naomi was this ecstatic about meeting someone as her eyes were captured by Tala's new beyblade and companion—Wolborg._

 _He would never ruin his sister's happiness._

 **"YOU'VE GOT TO TELL ME WHERE HE IS. PLEASE!"**

Naomi's head couldn't wrap around the sight before her. Voltaire was back in Russia for another meeting and he refused to tell her where her brother was. Ten years passed by the last time she saw him or heard from him and here she was in front of the bastard who had the audacity to call himself a grandfather. Even though Naomi would never speak all of these thoughts aloud, her insides were burning with aggravation.

She always believed that there was good within people. Some just had it buried for too deep.

However, there was a first time for everything.

"I told you for the millionth time to leave me alone." Voltaire swung his hand forcefully away from Naomi's firm grasp on it which resulted to her hitting the ground with a thud.

Naomi felt all the heat in her body abandoning her once she landed on the snow but catching a cold was the least of her worries. The pain piercing in her system by the sudden fall had her eyes tightly closed as she struggled to keep her breath at bay, as well as the urge to cry. She wouldn't allow Voltaire to see her mess, she had enough dignity to keep this private and pretend she was okay when all her world was collapsing on her feet.

She shivered when she ventured to stand up carefully and not slip due to the snow beneath her boots. She had managed to stand up properly to hear Voltaire's last words, "don't you ever come near me you pathetic little child."

 _So was that what everyone thought of her? A pathetic little child?_

Despite being seventeen years old and a capable woman who was becoming soon an adult, there was a part in her which Naomi wasn't capable of fixing. It was the only thing she couldn't mend alone because it wasn't with her anymore.

Kai Hiwatari and Tala Valkov made sure of carrying it with them.

It was said that happiness flows from within, but what did you do when all this precious happiness wasn't with you? What did you do when all of it was away with the most important people of your life?

 _Nothing. Absolutely nothing._

Drained and empty, Naomi's fingers reached tentatively to wipe the tears in her cheeks. She couldn't keep the pain bottled up inside any longer, it was just all too much.

Naomi walked mindlessly in the cold night, not bothering to drag her scarf up to provide more heat to herself. She couldn't give a damn if she got sick. She just wanted her family and Tala back.

The next seconds passed in a blur as she was roughly pushed away from the traffic. Two strong arms wrapped around her waste tightly but the man put a small distance in order not to crush her lithe form. Naomi heard faintly the exasperated voice of a driver who called out to her to be more careful when she crossed the street but all she could focus on at the moment were the icy blue eyes underneath the hoodie. It was still dark around them, but his scent, his presence and the way he firmly held onto her were too familiar to pass by.

She couldn't believe she'd ever see him again, especially under these circumstances so all she could do was tilt her head slowly before breathing softly, "Tala."


	2. Chapter 2

**Another Cold Christmas Part 2**

"Tala," Naomi breathed softly and her heart clenched at the sight of his icy blue eyes scanning her face as he reacquainted himself with her features. For the first time, he couldn't read anything in her gaze, only confirm the fact she was as equally stunned as he was.

His hands dropped from her waist quickly and Naomi felt the cold seep in, but at that moment, she couldn't care less if she got sick and had to lie in bed for a few days. All that mattered was Tala and he was standing in front of her, right here and now. So many questions were left unsaid and part of her wanted to blurt all things out in a single go, but the idea was pushed to the back of her mind when she realized she'd probably freak him out.

Tala regarded her with narrowed eyes whilst stuffing his hands in the pocket of his jeans roughly -a habit he developed younger whenever he was nervous- and Naomi winced inwardly. She couldn't fathom for the life of hers why didn't he settle for placing them in the pockets of his hoodie.

Naomi shifted her gaze to his face and wondered if he could still see through her, if a part of the Tala she used to know was there. However, his eyes were unreadable, his jaw clenched, his lips pressed in a grim line and his cheeks flushed from the cold as the wind continued to attack every bit of exposed skin there was on his face. Even the hoodie didn't provide enough protection and her chest tightened even more at the thought of him living in the streets for so long. She had found that out from a few acquaintances and her heart fell on the ground since there was a sliver of hope of Tala living in an apartment due to his beyblading career.

Her fingers reached to unfold the scarf from her neck and hand it to him, hiding the fact her blood went cold immediately. It was the least she could after everything he'd been through but her eyes widened when he put a hand in front of her, gently shaking his head.

"It's okay, Naomi." He spoke so softly and she would have missed his words if she didn't strain to hear them.

No it was fucking not.

Anger began to bubble inside her slowly. How could he say that? How could he accept that? The Tala she knew would always strive to do the best and take advantage of every opportunity ahead of him and most importantly, he refused to give up.

So why did she feel like resignation was personified in front of her?

"No it's not." Naomi told him, her voice clear and steady in the cold night.

Tala had been studying her the whole time from how she changed over the years to the mixture of emotions on her face which seemed to shift from one extreme point to the other. From pure calmness to a storm but that shouldn't surprise him. Naomi always had the ability to find the fire in her when needed the most, he mused.

"Oh really?"

"Yes," she affirmed and opened her mouth to say something before she audibly closed it, pausing for a moment to regard him with disillusionment.

Eventually, with a shuddering breath she asked, "what happened to you?"

Tala averted his gaze away from her briefly, sorrow washing over his features before he turned to stare at her squarely.

"Nothing," he shrugged as he whispered, "I just learned that life isn't for everyone."

When Tala finished his sentence, Naomi's hands were curled into fists which she was barely trying to control her anger and not swing them at his gorgeous face, especially at those icy blue eyes she used to admire and wanted many times to drown in them.

"You -"

His shoulders tensed at the rage in her tone. "Don't even start Naomi," he warned as his brows furrowed. "You'd never understand."

Silence fell upon them, filling the voids between them but there would always be holes if Naomi didn't do something and for the first time, she'd never felt more exhausted. It is as if all of the energy had been drained and she was left to survive with bits and pieces. However, none of that mattered but she couldn't say she didn't give a damn about the man in front of her. Or better, the resigned version of him.

Naomi heaved a sigh and exhaled slowly. Suddenly her snow-coated boots were far more interesting than the person across her, but she wouldn't leave without a fight.

"You're right." She broke the silence and Tala's ears perked up. "I don't. But that doesn't mean what you're doing to yourself is unacceptable."

" How could you-"

"How can I tell at that?" Naomi laughed mirthlessly. "Look at you. You're so resigned and damaged and instead of being persistent to make things better, you're only heading for the worst."

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what I'd been through."

"Trust me, I would. Because I have an idea of the torture you and the rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys had to bare on your shoulders, but this isn't an excuse for causing yourself so much suffer," she paused for a heartbeat before she added, "besides, where's the Tala I know?"

Tala's head shot up at the speed of lightning only to face a warm smile on her lips, making him to forget about the cold and the loneliness which surrounded and devoured him every single day. For a few seconds he felt, fine. He felt _home_.

However, a car speeding past them had him sobering up, grounding him to reality. "He's dead." He stated bluntly and expected another wave of rage, indignance and disgust to drown him.

"That's not true," she mumbled as the corners of her lips lifted to another small smile. "He's still in there, somewhere. You just chose to forget and neglect him."

His eyes widened in mild shock and suddenly he felt so transparent, so bare and helpless in front of her.

"No. Just drop it, Naomi." Tala's raised his voice unwillingly and cursed himself inwardly. He didn't want to scare her away, not now. It's been too damn long since the last time he saw her and got the chance to talk to her, despite the topic.

"I can't. Not when I know that the man in front me ignores who he really is."

It would be pointless if he continued to deny her words because she was damn right. She always was.

Noticing how Tala relaxed visibly she took a deep breath. "How about we catch up? I know it's been a while and I've probably missed a lot of things, but there's plenty of time for that."

His lips parted since he didn't anticipate her anger to be kicked out of her system this fast and before he could dwell on it, he found himself nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, it's been a while."


End file.
